Just before the lockdown in late March, Kharghar-based INaturewatch Foundation landed a project to reforest the Taloja hill watershed adjoining Taloja lake and Owe dam. At the time, Dr V Shubhalaxmi, founder and managing trustee, recalls, the hill wore a forlorn look, with a negligent tree cover and washed up soil. In collaboration with the forest department, local citizens, volunteers and CSR funds, the organisation has now been able to paint it green in parts.

"The hill range of Navi Mumbai is lush green, which has been denuded for various reasons in patches. At the Taloja hill watershed, due to lack of tree cover, the soil had been eroded," she explains, adding, "The hill has a leeward and windward side. We're working largely on the leeward side, where vegetation exists, and filling up the gaps so that the soil doesn't wash into the catchment area below, leading to land formation around the lake."